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High-Definition Content Takes Center Stage as Seagate Announces New Hard Drives Designed to be the Gold Standard for HD Performance

New purpose-built DVR HDD allows consumers to expand their digital content
libraries while enjoying best-in-class performance
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 6 /CNW/ -- Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX)
today announced its PipelineHD(TM) Series Hard Disc Drives, a new family of
purpose-built HDDs for Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) with initial capacities
planned up to 1TB, allowing DVRs to capture up to 200 hours of exciting
high-definition (HD) television or 1,000 hours of Standard Definition
television. Fueling the need for these large capacity options is the ever-
increasing demand for high-definition content from consumers all around the
world.
The new PipelineHD Series hard drives not only increase the amount of
content which can be stored but also integrate several other key performance
features to raise the bar in the high-definition marketplace. Designed for
superior acoustic performance, these new drives are virtually silent when
functioning in a DVR system, a feature that is important in the living room
and bedroom environments in which these devices are designed to operate.
Another important characteristic of the PipelineHD Series hard drives is the
best-in-class emitted vibration -- a boost for system builders in terms of
total system reliability and design simplicity.
With a target of meeting all global standards for low-power usage, the
PipelineHD Series drives incorporate several key design elements to limit
power consumption in all modes of operation. Consumers will benefit from this
focus on low energy performance when the drives are incorporated into energy-
efficient DVR systems with the added benefits of potentially lowering energy
costs and reducing environmental impact.
Consumers continue to drive changes in the way entertainment is
distributed and enjoyed, and the entertainment ecosystem is responding with
new ways of delivering convenience, choice and control. Digital video is now
available through many channels worldwide, including cable and satellite TV,
digital broadcast, IPTV, Internet streaming and download outlets and mobile
networks. As a result, consumer demand for storage continues unabated,
particularly with HDTV's rapid global adoption. Today's announcement furthers
Seagate's leadership in meeting this booming demand for storage in the home.
According to The Yankee Group, by the end of 2007, more than 40% of US
households will own a HDTV and studies predict that HDTVs will penetrate more
than 80% of households by 2011. Additionally, analysts believe that households
receiving high-definition content will more than double by 2010 and, as a
result, will increase the need and desire for higher capacity DVRs or
solutions to expand the capacity of current DVRs.
"Today's consumer is no longer asking whether they need hard drive
storage for their digital content -- they're asking us how much we can
deliver," said Patrick King, senior vice president and general manager of
Seagate's Consumer Electronics Business Unit. "Today's announcement furthers
Seagate's leadership in meeting the demands of the consumer's digital content
storage, by offering the most dynamic hard drive for the DVR market."
Seagate(R) PipelineHD(TM) Series Hard Disc Drive
With shipments beginning in the first half of 2008, the PipelineHD Series
hard drive will initially be available in capacities from 320GB up to 1TB.
Vista Logo Certification will provide DVR and Media Center manufacturers with
a wide range of options to meet the requirements of various customer segments;
and the highest performing home media centers will utilize a terabyte enabling
hundreds of hours of high-definition movie storage. In addition to increased
capacities, many DVRs and home media centers are developed without internal
fans for quiet operation, requiring the internal hard drive to maintain
reliability at higher-than-normal operating temperatures. PipelineHD Series
media-optimized hard drives are designed to perform reliably at the widest
range of industry standard operating temperatures -- capable of operating at
drive case temperatures of up to 75A0 C -- improving system reliability and
increasing the field life of DVRs and home media centers. Combined with
virtually silent operation, high performance optimized for high-definition
streaming and power optimization, the PipelineHD Series Hard Drives will
quickly become the top choice for manufacturers that provide the systems
fueling the digital entertainment revolution.
Keeping with the DVR theme, Seagate will also be displaying, in their
booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, a concept External DVR Box with the
intent of allowing consumers to expand the capacity of their current DVR to
take full advantage of premium services and HD content.
About Seagate
Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing
of hard disc drives, providing products for a wide-range of applications,
including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and
Branded Solutions. Seagate's business model leverages technology leadership
and world-class manufacturing to deliver industry-leading innovation and
quality to its global customers, as it strives to be the low cost producer in
all markets in which it participates. The company is committed to providing
award-winning products, customer support and reliability to meet the world's
growing demand for information storage. Seagate can be found around the globe
and at http://www.seagate.com.
Seagate, Seagate Technology and the Wave logo are registered trademarks
of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries.
PipelineHD is either a trademark or registered trademark of Seagate Technology
LLC or one of its affiliated companies in the United States and/or other
countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. When referring to hard drive capacity, one gigabyte,
or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one trillion
bytes. Your computer's operating system may use a different standard of
measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed
capacity is used for formatting and other functions, and thus will not be
available for data storage. Quantitative usage examples for various
applications are for illustrative purposes. Actual quantities will vary based
on various factors, including file size, file format, features and application
software. Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product
offerings or specifications.